Manual
OpenArena Gamer's Manual Quickstart After installing the game start it with *Start/Programs/OpenArena/OpenArena (in Windows), if the version you downloaded had an installation program. If not, just run the executable (something like'' openarena.exe'' or openarena.x86.exe) from the folder where you uncompressed the downloaded package. *typing /usr/games/openarena, or just openarena if /usr/games is in your $PATH, at a a shell (in Linux) or click on the icon in Games(Debian) *double-clicking it's icon (Mac OS X) Note: it is highly advisable to check/set/enable some options and key bindings, so please take a look to the Hints section below. Multiplayer See also: Manual/Multiplayer Click at "Multiplayer". On the "Arena Servers" menu change "Server: Local" to "Server: Internet" . A list of open games should appear. Turn "Show Full" and "Show Empty" off. Click on one of the games, press "Fight!" and you are ready to play! Singleplayer See also: Manual/Singleplayer If you don't want to play the game online click on "Single Player", then choose if to start one of the tier's match against predefined bots (Single Player Deathmatch) or starting a new game clicking on the "skirmish" button. What is OpenArena? OpenArena is an open-source content package for Quake III Arena licensed under the GPL, effectively creating a free stand-alone game. You do not need Quake III Arena to play this game. Installing OpenArena See also: Manual/Install Windows: download the windows installer from one of the mirrors, then double-click on the .exe file and follow the on-screen instructions. If the downloaded file does not have an installer program, but is simply a compressed file (.zip, .7z, .rar or similar), uncompress it into a folder of your choice (e.g. C:\Program files\OpenArena). Linux: read the FAQ and Installation and Linux Install. Debian provides the deb files. Mac OS X: download the Linux tarball from one of the mirrors, double-click it to extract the "oaxxx" folder, download the on-site Mac OS X engine, double-click it to extract the disk image, mount the disk image double-clicking it and drop the "ioquake3" application in the Linux's folder. If you want you can also trash every thing that is in the folder except the "baseoa" folder. Basic information User Interface * /Game menus * /Player settings (Name, handicap, effects, model) * /Head-up display Gameplay * /Gamemodes * /Medals * /Items * /Weapons * /Map elements Starting to play * /Controls * /Characters * /Community * /Singleplayer * /Multiplayer * /Spectate Starting a Game Server More info on the Servers#Server Setup and Manual/Multiplayer pages. Here just a couple of examples on few systems: Execute the OpenArena dedicated server binary, called openarena_ded in Fedora. If you have a "headless" system which you SSH to, you might want to use a command like: nohup openarena_ded options > openarena.log & The nohup command will fork the rest of the command off and it will persist after you logout. The output will be dumped to "openarena.log" wherever you execute the command. Note you can also use the '<' to issue commands from a file. The ampersand will put it to the background. Some server scripts to use with 'exec' command would be useful here. To start a gameserver on a mac type: :cd /Applications/OpenArena.app/Contents/MacOS/ :nohup ./ioquake3.ub +set dedicated 2 +exec server.cfg +map aggressor OpenArena at LAN-Party For an easy setup one player (preferably the one with the fastest computer) should run the server: *Multiplayer *"Create" *choose a game type and a map *open slots for other players *start the game by pressing the "fight"-button Now the other players should start "Multiplayer" and find the new server under "local". Making the game less violent Type this in the console (pull it down with Shift+Esc or ` ): /com_blood 0 /cg_gibs 0 Advanced information *FAQ#Configuration files and automatic downloaded files path */Console Commands */Techniques */Automatic downloading */Demos */Using Mods */Graphic options */Voice chat */Text colors *Bots */Statistics *Tweak - Tweaking various aspects of the game, for example to optimize performaces or network settings *Game physics - This is more for server admins, but you may be interested to know about the various kinds of physics in the game In-game help If you wish, you can install an optional ingame manual. The main help is this wiki site, but you may find useful also a simple help available directly inside the game, after you install it. You can download if from here (mirror - v 018, 29-oct-2010, based upon OA 0.8.1). The downloaded file should be named autoexec.cfg and placed in your /openarena/baseoa/ folder (under your installation folder, or under your configuration folder, where q3config.cfg is stored too). Note: if you are already using an autoexec.cfg file to execute your custom settings (not simply an earlier version of the guide, that could be simply overwritten instead), you have two options: 1) copy-paste the content of the guide inside it, merging the guide and your custom settings in one file... or 2) name the guide differently (like guide.cfg) and place an additional line (exec guide.cfg) at the end of your current autoexec.cfg file, to automatically load the new file, too. You can then use the manual in-game by opening the command console (shift+escape), and typing in the following command: /help and then press enter. A list of commands to use for the manual will appear. If you are unsure how to use this, use the following command: /helpguide and then press enter again (you should after every command). If you are having any trouble using this (it's not that easy to use for people new to consoles) feel free to ask help on the forum! If you want to propose your suggestions or report errors in that in-game manual, you can use the thread on the forum about it. Hints * When you play the game for the first times, you may have to set ("bind") some keys for specific commands. It is advisable to go to Setup --> Controls menu and there, in the "Look" section, set your favourite mouse speed. In the "Misc" section, set the "Use item" key (usually "ENTER", but you may want one next to the A-S-D-W keys usually used for movement). In the "Misc" section, set the key for the "gesture" (your character will perform some sort of "Urrah!" movement: useless but nice) and, more important, one for the "chat-team" feature (this one is useful during team-based gametypes: only your team-mates will see the text you will write after pressing this button, very useful to talk about tactics). Remember that you can use the GUI to bind up to two keys to a single function. It is advisable to quickly check everything in the "Controls" menu, to learn/set useful commands, like how to jump and to use "zoom". * Disabling "Autoswitch weapons" option from Setup --> Controls --> Shoot menu is probably a good idea. Console command is \cg_autoswitch <0 or 1>. Default value is 1, but often players like 0. With autoswitch enabled, each time you pick up a weapon (even if you already have it), it will select it. Since there is a time needed to change weapon, doing it in the wrong moment (during a gunfight) may be a problem for you: usually it is better to switch weapons when you really want to do it (by default, you can do it using your mouse wheel). * Go to Setup --> Game Options and enable "Unlag hitscan". This way, the game will compensate your "lag" for hitscan weapons (those, like machinegun and railugn, that immediately hit the target when you press the button, without "flying" in the air). For those weapons, you will not have to anticipate the enemy's movements according to your ping: if you are correctly targeting him when you shoot, you will hit him, even if in reality you are watching the position where he was 0,3 seconds ago and he's there no more. This is useful for online gaming. Enabling or disabling this option will change the value of at least'' two'' variables: cg_delag and g_delaghitscan (1=enabled). * You can go to Setup --> Game Options and enable "Automatic downloading". This way, if the server you are connecting to has its option enabled, it will send to you possible additional files that you don't have but you need to play on it. It will automatically download new maps or mods, if needed. For the place where autodownloaded data is stored, read here. * You can install OpenAL in your system to get a more realistic 3D audio environment. It is needed if you want to use the built-in ''Voice chat feature.'' * You can go to Setup --> System --> Graphics and adjust these options according to your system's "power" (e.g. you may want to select a higher resolution). If "flares" and "bloom" distract you from the game (especially flares), you can disable them. You can change Brightness from Setup --> System --> Display. You can check your frame-rate enabling \cg_drawFPS 1 from command console. Setting the texture detail to the maximum is advisable to get the best looking of the game. See also here and here. * There are some options that can enable useful on-screen info, like your current speed (and remember that you can gain extra speed using the "strafe jump" techninque, continuosly jumping (jumping again while landing) and holding forward key plus a strafe (lateral movement) key -usually, "a" or "d" keys-), or your team-mates health and position (this one is "draw team overlay" in "game options" menu). Check the Manual/Graphic options page. * You can set your own nickname from the Setup --> Player settings menu. If you wish you can also use OpenArena Name Changer, a nice external tool, to do that. * It is advisable to set the correct "data rate" from Setup --> System --> Networking menu (it helps you to get the best experience in multiplayer mode). Nowadays, most users have fast connections and thus have to select "LAN/Cable/xDSL", but if you have an old 56k or ISDN modem, select the corresponding value. * Two very useful buttons, when you are in the game: "ESC" key opens the menù, and "TAB" key shows score table (TAB has to be hold). For the button to open the command console, instead, please read its own page. See also * FAQ and Troubleshooting External links * Optimizing OpenArena: Play Like a Pro (thedimi.net) * Quake 3 Arena Online manual (Q3A official manual) - Q3A Readme file * Q3A bot commands